Nibbly Fiddleton

The day of awakening was strange, yet simple, and seeing how young the small frogling was at the time they believed it to be the norm. One day you're swimming around in the pool of water you one day spawned in and the next you're... Aware. Awake. Painfully sapient and left with the confusion if not knowing how or why you came to be, but knowing you now are. Nibbly was granted this sapiance, but whether it was a gift or a curse was still to be determined.

Valcola Deep was exactly what it sounded like. An abyss of deep brackish water which was filled with all manner of creatures. Frogs like Nibbly populated the upper levels of these waters. Where the moss and plant life grew so thick it gave the false appearance of land. Under the water's surface was a forest of thick roots from said plants. With murky waters and a maze of plants the world under the water's surface was ethereal and confusing. Upon getting into the depths there was no way to tell what way was up and what was down. It was just a murky black void where anything at any moment could jump out and attack.

And that's exactly what happened to our dear sweet Nibbly, in a sense. The day of awakening started with a painful bump on the head as an unknown object was thrown into the deep. It plunged through the water's surface in an instant, and it's weight only added to it's force. The young frog was dazed for a moment, but only a moment. Soon enough there was a brilliant flash of red as the awareness came to light. For the first time in their short life Nibbly was left with a question. What in the world had just happened?

The object in question wasn't hard to find. Despite its weight it didn't actually sink. Not much, anyway. Gravity has pulled it down, but gravity became a moot point after a certain depth. Floating mere feet below was a brilliant glass orb. It emanated a soft green light that cut through the mud and murk of the water. Inside this orb? A single, white and orange fish. The fish itself was not what Nibbly was worried about, though. Instead they were worried about what had thrown it at them in the first place.

Swimming upwards yielded no results. The surface was lush and green, but devoid of any animal life that could have been the culprit. No animals besides the thick swarm of gnats and mayflies which buzzed overhead. A staple food supply maybe, but nothing capable of throwing such an object. Going on to the surface to further their search came to mind, but that though was soon dismissed as the water underneath shifted from a brilliant and warm green glow to an angry ravenous red. The same red that had awakened Nibbly to begin with. Red was the colour of awareness, so the frog dove back down to investigate. Perhaps there they would find answers.

Once again they were face to face with the fish in the orb, only this time the fish's eyes were a piercing red. Bright enough to give the almost expressionless fish an aura of anger so strong it leached out into the water itself. What had happened wasn't clear, but Nibbly knew this fish had been thrown from above. Most things they'd seen in their short life that entered the water from above weren't meant for dwelling in the deep.

With their newfound awareness came many new concepts. Among these was empathy. Before Nibbly had never felt for another. They hadn't even thought about any creature aside from themself until this very moment. But in this moment Nibbly felt bad for the fish. Trapped in a small glass bubble and cast into the sea against their will. So, while the land was generally an unsafe place for frogs, they grabbed the orb in their suction cupped hands and swam it to the muddy terrain above.

Most land based areas were alien to the frog. Aside from the few large stones and fallen trees which protruded out from the water's surface they'd never ventured far. Mud was a pleasant feeling. The thick damp and somewhat heavy substance gave a similar weight to being tucked away in the safety of the pool. Getting out of the mud took some finessing, and by the time the pair had made it the glass bubble was sufficiently covered in grime. In spite of that the fish seemed to have calmed down. It's eyes were no longer glowing and it seemed to be curiously looking around at the landscape.

Curiosity. That was also a new concept. Not new in the sense Nibbly had never felt it before. They had many times in the past, but in the past it was never this strong. Now equipped with the ability to question things like "why" and "how" the world was a much more interesting place. Why was the surface so green? How could these bugs hover in the air? Where were they going? Did they have a destination, or were they just aimlessly wandering? Did Nibbly have a destination? That was a heavy thought to take in. Now that they were awake, what do they do now? Where do they go?

A loud "plunk" filled Nibbly's ears, snapping them out of their wonder. The fish was no longer sitting next to them. Instead, it was about ten feet out trapped in a small divot in the ground which prevented it from rolling any further. Quickly the frog ran to their new friend's aid and plucked it from the pit. Much to their horror, the orb was leaking! In a panic Nibbly began running back towards the water. While they didn't know much about fish, they knew fish needed water to survive. If the water was draining this fish was rapidly running out of time!

Or, was it? The fish not only wasn't panicking, but it was actively trying to move away from the water's edge. In addition to that the water level inside the orb wasn't getting any lower. Water was draining, but the orb remained full. Nibbly didn't know what to make of this, but the fish lived inside the orb. Perhaps the fish knew more about it than they did. Holding the orb close to their face Nibbly uttered their first words.

"Who are you?"

It was a simple question with a very complex answer. The fish could not speak, but it did seem to understand. As a response it swam around in a small circle several times. What this meant was debatable, and after a few minutes of blankly staring the fish decided to take a different approach to the situation. It swam to the dirtied part of the orb, tapped it several times, then swam in another circle.

This repeated over and over until Nibbly felt a wet spot growing beneath their feet. That's when it all clicked. Whenever the fish swam around like that more water would pour out of the orb and on to the ground! It tapping the grime must mean it was offering Nibbly this water to clean it. By all accounts it made sense. This glass was the fish's only window to the world. With it covered in mud there was no way for it to see. So, Nibbly sucked some of the water in their mouth and spit it at the orb to drench it. Soon enough the orb was clean and the fish was happy. Well, as happy as a fish could be.

"What is your name?" Nibbly asked, only to once again be met with silence. "Do you have one?"

The fish let out a single bubble in response. it had never done that before. Not only that, but the bubble did not remain inside the orb upon reaching the top. Instead, it popped and dissipated into nothing, leaving the water crystal clear and bubble free. That had never happened either. From what the frog could remember bubbles went up and remained trapped unless they made it to the water's surface. Billions of bubbles and small air pockets littered the deep, with many of them being trapped under the thick brush of plants at the water's surface.

"Hm. You can't talk..." They muttered sadly. "I couldn't talk either, until now. I don't even know how I can talk."

It had been several minutes since the pair had made it to the surface. The mud coating Nibbly's skin was beginning to dry and flake off, leaving their skin exposed. For an aquatic creature, being dry like this was horribly uncomfortable. The dry dirt itched and the hot sun stung badly. Fish may not appreciate the deep, but they needed it to survive! But, when Nibbly began walking back towards the shoreline the fish once again began swimming away. As much as it could be trapped in its orb, anyway.

"No no, it's ok!" The frog croaked. "We'll come back! But it's too hot out here..."

Once again the fish's eyes began glowing red, only this time it did not seem angry. It swam around rapidly until it was nothing more than a blur of red, white, and orange. Then, as if the water had come to life itself, the water draining out of the orb began to wrap around Nibbly's body until they were sufficiently moistened, cooled, and clean. It was absolutely amazing! They'd never seen anything like it before! Sure, water was known to move and shift to create tides and currents, but this fish had caused the water to float midair! It was... It was magical!

"Woah! How did you do that?" Nibbly questioned, forgetting the fish could not respond.

The next few hours were spent wandering the surface world with Nibbly's newfound friend. It seemed to have a destination in mind, and the curiosity that filled the frog's mind was too strong to ignore. They were happy to chaperone their new fishy friend around for as long as it wanted them to. Anything as a chance to explore the new horizon they'd been shown. The deeper inland they got, the more wonder filled the frogs mind. What was once grass faded and thinned to coarse dirt which was only populated with a few thin weeds and twigs.

One thing that caught their attention was just how dry the ground was. Dust and sand clung to their damp webbed toes. It was an odd feeling to say the least. Having any ground under their feet was a weird feeling. More often than not Nibbly was swimming around with their stomach to the ground and back to the sky. Even standing upright offered a new lense into the world around them they'd never seen before. It was all so fascinating.

Occasionally the pair would stop to rest. Where they were going was a mystery, but the destination didn't matter as much as the journey. The only downside to walking was that it took a toll on the frogs legs. Swimming offered a full body workout, but walking only got the legs moving. Legs that did not move often and needed frequent brakes. Fish was at least understanding. Whenever they stopped it'd nearly swim around, dampen Nibbly's skin, or roll around the nearby area in search of... Whatever it was the fish was looking for. That part was still a mystery.

The sun set, the sky darkened, and eventually both the frog and the fish were hunkered down for the night. A few days went by like this. Waking up, wandering until dusk, only stopping for short rests. Little conversation happened between the two, but Nibbly didn't mind much. They had never needed conversation before their awakening, and they certainly didn't need it now. Just having the fish by their side was enough. Just Nibbly, fish, and the expansive and unknown world around them. That is, until they made it to Dextly.

The settlement of Dextly was a small town which bordered Valcola Deep. It was known for its knack for pottery making and other various types of craftsmanship. Citizens of the town spent their days digging up clay from the river beside them and working it into beautiful pots and bowls and figurines. Even the entrance to the town itself resembled a fine china archway. It was a white marble arch which was painted with delicate blue flowers and lined with gold coloured rock. Many of the houses followed this scheme as well, and those who didn't had hundreds of tiny pots and jugs out on display to make up for it. A sight to behold to a normal being, but to Nibbly this was the most fascinating thing they'd ever seen in their life! Aside from the fish, of course.

Fish desperately wanted inside the town. The second it came into view it was pushing against the side of the glass to guide it's walking friend over. For a moment it seemed as if the fish was going to push hard enough to break free from their grasp and smash against the ground below, but that did not happen. Instead, both walked quite calmly into town where they were greeted by two beings unlike Nibbly had ever seen.

Standing on either side of the archway was a pair of tall bipedal creatures. The top halves of their bodies were hairless and covered in basic muddy tunics, but their lower halves were covered in sleek fur. It was almost as if someone had cut the top half off one creature and stuck it on the bottom half of another. Their tops and bottoms didn't match. Each of them had hooved feet and a long haired tail that occasionally swatted at the gnats around them.

"You there!" One of the creatures said, pointing a finger at Nibbly. "State your name and business here."

"My name... My name is Nibbly! And this is... Fish." Nibbly began. "We're here to... Uh... Well I'm here because fish demanded it"

As they said this they held the glass orb up for the man to inspect. He didn't seem interested, though. He merely pushed the orb away and restated his previous sentence.

"Full name, please. And the reason for your visit. This town is under the protection of the COUNTRY royal guard. We don't take kindly to tourists."

"I told you, I'm here for fish!" Nibbly said once again, holding their friend up. "Fish wanted to come, so I brought her here!"

"I'm afraid that isn't an answer" the man replied.

Both men took stand in front of the archway, successfully blocking the frog from entering. It irritated Nibbly, but not as much as it irritated the fish. It's eyes once again began to glow, although this time they glowed green. It spun several times allowing a thin green dribble of water to exit the orb, and that dribble snaked its way along the ground creating a vague pathway. The guards were a bit startled by this, but soon enough they were both inspecting the trail to see where it led.

This trail of green inched forwards throughout the town until it reached a single grand building in the center. The building itself was lined with broken shards of pottery that had been affixed like brickwork. Many of the shards were mismatched, but it was clear whoever put this building together took great care to match the edges as best they could. The grout between shards had a brilliant golden sheen to it that caught the light and sparkled. Once it touched the walls of whatever the building was the trail turned from bright greed to almost neon red.

Both guards looked stunned at this. They stared for several moments before turning back to look at Nibbly and the fish. The fish whose eyes were glowing bright red and pulsing like a heartbeat, causing the line on the ground to pulse as well. Like before it's rage seemed to radiate outwards and leach out into the air. Clearly both guards took notice, as one muttered something quietly to the other before both nodding.

"Sir... Nibbly, was it?" He asked

"Yes! Nibbly is my name!" The frog replied.

"You don't happen to be in association with the church, do you? The temple of the grand?"

Nibbly was going to respond with a confused "no" but the fish cut them off by slamming it's head into the glass full force and causing Nibbly to lurch forwards. It was enough to get the message across.

"Gah, yes! The temple! We're going to the temple!" Nib croaked.

The guards gave each other one last concerned look before stepping aside and allowing the pair to enter. By the time they did the line on the ground had evaporated entirely, but with a building as unmistakable as this it wasn't all too hard to get there.

Inside the building was almost as breathtaking as the outside. The entire thing was lined with broken pots and vases, all of which had been repaired with a thin strand of gold that gave them a beautiful patchwork effect. As for furniture, there wasn't much. The only thing of note aside from the rows of pottery was a pedestal in the very far center of the room. An elegant staircase led up to an alcove hollowed out in the wall, and inside the alcove was a single brown urn lined with silver and dotted with colourful gemstones.

Fish clearly wanted to get a closer look. It wouldn't stop banging itself against the glass, but upon getting to the staircase it stopped. Not only that, but it began to swim downwards towards the ground. An odd choice, but Nibbly didn't question it. Instead they crouched down and placed the fish gently at the base of the staircase. It rolled around for a time before stopping and circling around a single point. It was a few inches away from the staircase when it stopped. Nibbly took a moment to figure out what was going on, but soon enough he got the memo. On the ground beside the fish was a single triangular object. A matte black rounded triangle with a bright pinkish purple tip. What this item was Nibbly didn't know, but fish was fixated on it. No matter what he did the fish would just swim back to it and stare.

"What is this?" Nibbly said, grabbing the item off the ground. It had a pretty good weight to it despite its size. "Some sort of stone?"

As they looked over the oddly coloured stone the doors to the temple swung open and one of the guards from earlier walked in. He seemed to have a bundle of things in his arms. Blue gemstones, bunches of dried plants, bottles of various substances Nibbly couldn't even begin to imagine. Fish watched him curiously, looking between the man entering and the stone in the frog's hands.

"Sorry for the wait earlier" he began. "Cairo said he was going to send people over, but he never said anything about... What they looked like. Although I do have to question your... Choice of fashion."

"What's that?" Nibbly asked innocently.

The bump on the head may have awakened Nibbly's mind, but it didn't clothe their body. Frogs didn't wear clothes in the wild. No animal did, as there was no need or desire for it. Luckily, being a frog they didn't have anything out on display for anyone to see. Nibbly was just as modest without clothes as they were with them. That being said, with clothing being the standard in the modern world it was a pretty valid concern for anyone who may be looking.

"It's... Nevermind." The man replied. "But I brought an extra set of robes if you want them. I also have everything ready for the urn when you want to get started."

The man began laying everything out in a nice neat row on a silver tray. Nibbly didn't know much about any of the stuff he was working on, but the stuff on the tray wasn't their main concern. The thing that caught the small frogs attention were the flowing velvet robes they'd been handed. They were so soft. Softer than anything Nibbly had ever felt before in their life. Not that they'd ever paid attention to textures before. Until now texture had been nothing more than an afterthought. Something that only mattered if it was painful, but otherwise faded into the background.

Rehydrating may be a bit more difficult with clothing in, but now dressed in a jet black robe with a golden trim Nibbly looked far more like the rest of the people wandering the area. If clothing was going to be a requirement from now on they may as well at least try to blend in. At least until they had a better understanding of what was going on in this town. Or whatever town Fish brought them to in the future.

"Well, that should be everything." The man said as he finished setting everything up. "Unless you need anything else I guess I'll be on my way"

"One question, actually," Nibbly replied. "What's this?"

The small frog held the triangular rock up to the man for him to inspect it. As far as they could tell it wasn't part of the temple itself, although it did fit with the aesthetic. It was far too thick and heavy to be a mere piece of pottery. Not only that, but despite it's hard and stone-like texture it was rather flexible. More flexible than a rock, anyway. That became clear as the man flexed it in his hands as he looked it over.

"This? Seems to be a scale. Probably Cairo's, given the colour" he said, handing the object back.

As he said the name "Cairo" Fish's eyes flashed red. Once again the aura began to radiate outwards and fill the room. Even the man could feel it's power, as he staggered backwards several paces upon being hit. As powerful as it was, though, Nibbly wasn't scared. Fish was clearly upset over the scale and whoever "Cairo" was supposed to be. If the anger was directed at them it'd be a different story.

"A scale. Thanks! We were trying to figure that out. Fish seemed interested in it" Nib chirped.

A short time later the man left and Nibbly and Fish were all alone inside the porcylin temple. The scale was far more interesting to Nib than the rest of the trinkets. They sat on the floor and looked over it's shiny pink outline with fascination. It glittered as it caught the light, but the black part remained matte and dull. Fish, on the other hand, was busy looking over the spell components laid out on the silver tray.

In a neat row was a very full vial of blue magic, several chunks of lapis, bundles of pine needles and a small match to light them with, pine sap, Amber, and lastly a jar of a thick black substance which was most likely demon blood or tar. Which of the two it was couldn't be determined just by looking at it. It'd have to be opened and smelled to confirm. Not like it was of much concern to Fish. If this ritual was something Cairo wanted, Fish was going to do everything in her power to prevent it from happening.

Fish was a rather peculiar creature. In her past she swam through the infinite abyss that was the Outer Room. A plane of nothing but magic beyond the capabilities of any mortal and then some. Even the gods themselves wouldn't be able to handle  the power of this place for long, yet she spent her days swimming through the void without a care in the world. It had uplifted her and ascended her to not only a higher intelligence, but a higher level of being all together.

But with all her magic and all her abilities she was still extremely limited in what she could do. Not only that, but the Outer Room was a desolate and isolating place. The only other beings she saw there were miles away. By the time she managed to swim over to any of them they were long gone never to be seen again. It was lonely, plain, and above all maddening. Being a fish already meant she was vastly different in terms of personality than a normal being, but now she was highly intelligent and somewhat insane. Her motives were something no one would be able to understand even if she explained. Which, of course, she couldn't.

Upon exiting the Outer Room Fish had found herself in the Shallow Sea where she spent a few years swimming around both that and the Sea of Misa. It wasn't nearly as vast of a place as the Outer Room, but it was far more populated. Small crabs, stingrays, manta rays, sharks, clams. Various creatures of such miniscule intelligence. They weren't great for conversation, but Fish enjoyed seeing so much life around her. She didn't need conversation, not like she could talk anyway, but the feeling of not being alone was working wonders for her sanity. Having so much visual stimulation kept her mind from wandering too much.

After years of this Fish began noticing something strange. Closer to the shoreline there were small boxes being thrown into the sea attached to lines that went out far above the water's surface. These boxes had a singular round entrance which could easily be pushed open, but could not be exited. A one way door. She was smart enough to understand that much. She was also smart enough to read the labeling on these boxes. "Property of Trixot Fishery".

Being so new and so incredibly interesting Fish allowed herself to get caught willingly where she then got hauled off and sold in the pet trade. If the ocean was a stimulating place, the surface was infinitely more so. So many people of all different races. Humans, elves, Kodin, and even a single lesser dragon. That lesser dragon was Cairo.

Cairo had the odd ability to passively sense thoughts. He was constantly reading the minds of the people around him, even if sometimes he may have preferred not to. His psychic abilities are what drew him to Fish. Of all the intelligent beings in that small little pet shop she had the most interesting thoughts. It was the first time she had had the ability to interact with people in such a direct way, and that small taste left her begging for more. She wanted to speak. She wanted so desperately to convey her thoughts and gather more information. Everything Cairo said was absorbed into her mind like a sponge.

The two decided to form a bit of an alliance, and as time went on they used their combined powers to craft a suitable vessel for her to roam around in. The orb, which was a decanter of endless water imbued with blue magic to help all the necessary bacteria in fish tank water thrive. Most of her time was spent swimming in the Lesser Dragons koi pond, but on occasion they'd go out wandering together. Cairo would translate her thoughts into words which allowed her to get in on conversations she normally wouldn't be able to. It was a wonderful partnership, until Cairo betrayed her.

While she liked the ability to communicate, her and Cairo didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things. He was far too... Cookie cutter. His actions could be predicted from a mile away, he always took the safest route, and he always tried to be a peacemaker. Fish was far more chaotic. She wanted to see the metaphorical "feeding frenzies" of the upper world. She wanted to watch confrontations play out, she wanted to see the food chain in action. In nature a shark wouldn't play nice with a minnow. Minnows were food. The same logic could be applied to the upper world. The weak should fear the strong! It's the way of the world!

Cairo didn't approve of her methods, and after a while a full blown argument broke out between the two. This eventually culminated in a brief magical showdown followed by Cairo attempting to cast her out into Valcola Deep never to be seen again. He figured it was so far away and so remote that even if she did survive in her little glass sphere he'd never have to see her again. There she met Nibbly, and now the two were right here in the temple looking over all these spell components and trying to figure out what in the hell these things were for.

The urn. Clearly something needed to be done with the urn, but what? All of these spell components were concretely blue aligned. Blue magic was the magic of time, which also had several hints as to what was going on. Blue magic, urns, components which clearly were meant to be burned to create a passive aura of spell effect. What could it all mean? She wouldn't know for sure until she got a better look at that urn.

Nibbly felt a hard nudge at their feet as the round glass orb bumped into them. It seemed their new friend had finished looking over the tray and was ready for more adventuring. Or, maybe not. Upon picking her up all she wanted to do was move forwards up the small staircase. Fair enough. Nib didn't question the whim of their new friend. Not like they could if they wanted to. It'd only been a couple of days since becoming aware, and in that time they'd yet to fully grasp the concept of asking questions. They could, and they had many, but wondering "why" and actually verbalizing "why" were two vastly different things.

The urn itself was nothing new. Both of them had seen it before when they first walked inside, but neither had gotten a closer look. The urn's silver lining was not as decorative as they first thought. Upon closer inspection it seemed there were various runes and incantations engraved into the surface. What they were for Nibbly didn't know, but they sure did seem important. Each was finely crafted and carefully placed so that none would interfere with each other.

Fish, of course, was rampantly tapping against the side of the glass. Tapping hard to signal Nibbly... Something. It was clear she was trying to get at the urn, but what she wanted done with it was up there the frog's interpretation, and the frog certainly didn't know. There was only one thing up at the top of the staircase, and that was the urn, so slinging the fish under one arm Nibbly grabbed the urn with another.

A strange new power began to surge through the young frogs hand and up their arm as they clung to the urn's fired clay surface. A feeling of wonder and astonishment. Like the world was putty in their hands and that anything could happen next. It was a wondrous feeling, even if it was faint. Extremely faint. As if this wondrous power was sealed away behind the walls of this urn just waiting to be set free.

Nib patterned down the stairs and over to the silver tray containing all the other items before sitting down. They were a very small being all things considered. Enormous for a frog. Nibbly stood at a whopping two foot two, which is leagues larger than your average 6 inch long frog. In comparison to all the other beings they encountered, though, they were quite small. The half and half creatures were 5 feet tall at the very least. Needless to say, any object made for the standard creature was far too large for Nibbly to carry. The urn and the orb were too much for them to carry.

Fish had been working out the mechanics of all this in her head as all this was happening. Clearly the humanoid wanted them to do something with these blue aligned components to that urn. The urn itself was covered in runes which related to imprisonment. That's when it finally clicked. Components for a passive aura, time magic, imprisonment. Clearly whatever was in this urn was meant to stay there, and whatever spell was affecting it needed to be "recharged". If there was one thing Fish knew for sure it was this: if Cairo wanted this being sealed away, she wanted it free. An enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all.

There had to be some way to reverse these effects. Perhaps not with the current components laid in front of them, but all magic could be undone with enough finesse. Now on the ground Fish was able to wander around to further inspect the area. There had to be a storage room or a closet or something inside this temple. With an artifact so important housed within it it wouldn't make sense to have the place empty. Surely there was magic components in the area in case of an emergency.

Alas, there were not. Not any magic components, anyway. Inside the closet were a few rows of books, basic janitorial supplies, a few incense burners, and several cups and dishes for who knows what. Nothing of too much interest for Fish, but all her rolling around had caught Nibbly's attention. Most of these items were things they had never seen before. Most man made structures and items were an enigma in the first place, but the books were something that really caught Nib's eye. Not just for their construction, but for the words written on them.

There hadn't been much writing thus far on the frog's journey. Perhaps a single sign pointing to town, but other than that there was nothing. The books, however, were chalk full of it. Not only that, but with the new awareness Nibbly had been granted they could actually read and understand these books as well! It was strange to think that in the past these symbols would have been written off as nothing more than patterns or smudges. Meaningless markings with no weight behind them. The book completely captured Nibbly's attention to the point their fish was allowed to roam freely.

The book itself was pretty straightforward. A grand tale of adventure detailing the life's work of a creature known as a "God". This god roamed Mirror Domain, mainly the countries bordering the Shallow Sea and Valcola Deep, keeping a great evil at Bay. The god in the story had marvelous powers and mysterious knowledge that Nibbly couldn't quite grasp. It seemed the book's author couldn't either. Whenever this "God" creature's power was mentioned it never went into specifica, rather the grand display of lights and colours that followed a spell being cast.

As the story went on it became more and more clear to Nibbly what a god was. A being of great power who grants that power and knowledge to the common folk. A creature much like Fish, who had granted her knowledge and power to them. Was this fish also a god? According to the book it seemed plausible. She too had magic which exhibited itself in grand displays of light and colours. Perhaps this is why they had been led here. To learn the true power of their god.

"My dear friend!" Nibbly croaked, putting the open book face down to save their place. "Why didn't you tell me this before? A being of such power shouldn't be left in the shadows! We need to be out there showing your power to the world! That's what this god did!"

Fish didn't know what Nibbly was on about, but she agreed with one thing. She did need to show her power to the world. The more people who witnessed her grandeur, the higher the chance word would eventually spread back to Cairo. She wanted to make it clear that she was not going to roll over and die. Casting her out to Valcola Deep wasn't going to stop her in the slightest. It wasn't even going to slow her down. She was going to exact her revenge on the lowly lesser dragon, and she knew just how to do it.

The fish nodded in response to Nibbly's sudden rant, which filled the frog with glee. Their new friend agreed! They had gotten her message, even if it was awfully cryptic.

"Wonderful. I don't know what you have in store, but I'm sure it'll be a grand display of magic! Just like the book says."

Once again the fish nodded, only this time she also began rolling out the door. As much as she could, anyway. The door to the temple had been left wide open, but there were three pesky steps leading outward that prevented her from simply rolling forwards to the outside world. That's where Nib came in, of course. Seeing their friend starting to leave they scurried over and scooped her up in their arms. With that, the two began wandering out of the temple and into the town itself.

Dextly wasn't a very large town. The whimsical buildings which populated it were very spaced out from one another. Almost as if they were built that way to take up as much of the fertile land around them as possible. The more land the town owned, the more clay they had rightful claim of. That, and the townsfolk needed ample room to store the clay, build kilns to fire the clay, make work stations to form and paint the clay, and of course space to display their work.

Still, while spacey the town made good use of it all. Colourful strings and banners were hung between the buildings, and thousands of shiny brown and blue pebbles lined the walkways making navigation easy. Every now and then there'd be a single painted stone thrown into the mix as an indicator of either a turn or an important building. These stones often shared the symbols of the buildings they indicated. Follow the stones and you'll eventually find the building in question.

That's exactly what Nibbly did as fish guided them down the path and towards the market. A large open plaza with several pop up stalls selling various items. it was a nice and colourful place full of more half and half creatures wandering about. Most buying daily necessities before heading back to their homes. Nibbly didn't have time to gawk, though. Fish quickly lead them towards a single stall at the far end of the market.

The stall in question was run by an extremely old woman with greying fur and wrinkling skin. Her eyes were ruby red and her outfit was red and gold to match. She was adorned with gemstone earrings and golden jewelry as well. There was an almost intimidating air about her, but her face was so kind and inviting that Nibbly pushed the feeling of dread aside. Clearly Fish wanted to talk to her. Or rather, she wanted Nibbly to talk for her.

"Hello, welcome!" The woman said as Nib hoisted their fish onto the counter to get a closer look at the shop's wares. "Oh, and a warm welcome to your little pet, too! Is there anything I can help you with today, little... Frog"

"Pet? Oh no, Fish is not a pet! She's a god!" Nibbly replied matter of factly. "And my god needs... Something here. I think. Do you see anything, my lady?" Nib asked the fish.

Fish just shook her head as she continued to look around. The urn was powered by an aura effect. In order to dispel it she'd have to make an opposing aura. That'd be difficult with red magic, as most red aligned components weren't plant based. Plants burned easily, letting the magic within them disperse around the surrounding area. Blood, flesh, and metals didn't burn so easily. Generally where blue auras were created by burning components, red ones were made by boiling. Mixing the ingredients into a liquid and wafting the steam out and around an area. It was just a matter of finding the right components for the aura she had in mind.

"This one's a god?" The woman asked incredulously. "That's a new one. I've delved into the realm of gods and I've never come across a "fish god". There isn't even a water based god as far as I'm concerned-"

The woman's ramblings were cut short as Fish's rage began to boil over. Her eyes flashed red, and that same aura of fear Nibbly had felt a few times before was quickly returning. It was strong enough to overwrite whatever feeling they had felt earlier, and by this point it was clear the shopkeeper felt it as well. Neither of them actually did anything, though. It was just a stare down between the shopkeep and Fish. Fish was clearly winning.

"Hah, okay..." She muttered. "A magic little f-fish. I'll give you that much..."

As the woman shifted away from Fish's glass orb she revealed a few more wares hung on the wall behind her. Among them was several animal parts. Bones, hides, and most importantly organs. All sorts of organs. Hearts, brains, livers. What fish was looking for was a stomach. More specifically the stomach of something like a rabbit or deer. An animal whose diet mostly consisted of plants. With plants being the bulk of the aura in the temple, it was the perfect way to counteract their effects. Fish tapped forwards and up on her orb to signal this to Nibbly.

"What are those?" Nibbly asked, pointing vaguely in the direction their friend had signaled.

"These?" The woman asked, receiving an affirming nod from the fish. "These are animal parts. I stock all sorts for various different effects. What are you in the market for?"

Instead of responding Nibbly simply grabbed the fish and marched behind the market stall to give her a better look. It wouldn't take long for her to point out the stomachs, and with a bit more questioning the two found the items they had come for. That was settled, but there was one more problem the two had yet to encounter.

"Alright, I think I have everything together for you. Your total comes to 2 Tekt" the woman said.

Neither of the two had any form of money on them, not like they had any way of getting any prior to this moment. Nibbly just stared back at the woman in confusion. Confusion that was clearly plastered across their face, as the shopkeeper almost immediately picked up on it.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"Tekt... Tekt.. what's-" Nibbly began, before being cut off by the tapping of Fish against the glass. Fish, of course, was rapidly trying to return back to the temple. "No, not now. We'll head back once we get what we came for"

"Your fish is getting a bit rowdy."

"She just wants to head back to the temple." Nib replied. "We have work to do!"

"Oh!" The woman exclaimed. "You're with the temple of the Grand?"

"Yup! My lady needed this stuff for our work there" Nib chirped, gesturing to the array of items before them.

"Ah, I see. If that's the case this should be covered. I know someone stopped by earlier to pay the temples tab, so to speak. Have a good day you two!"

With that the pair skipped their way back to the temple with their bag of spell components in toe. Once there Fish had Nibbly arrange each item in pairs. The blue magic component on one end and the red on the other. She wanted to make absolutely sure that they had everything they needed in the correct order. It's always a good idea to double check before beginning to cast a spell as complex as this. It seemed everything was in order, so the frog gathered a small basin and began getting everything mixed properly.

Mixing the aura together wasn't difficult. It took awhile, sure, but the process itself was simple. With guidance from Fish Nibbly scraped out the inside of the rabbit stomach and placed it in the basin of water. They then ground up a bit of bone and added a small bit of demon blood to bind everything together. From there fish channeled her own magic into the basin until it was glowing with a bright red hue.

Fire was a relatively new concept to Nib. For someone who'd spend their entire life in or under the waters of Valcola Deep it wasn't anything they even encountered naturally. Maybe once or twice they'd seen the aftermath of a wildfire, but that was before the awareness had been granted and a true understanding of what they were seeing could be formed. Now, though, it was a strange and beautiful thing. The dancing oranges and yellows and the unique smell of smoke it gave off were enchanting. Nothing like this existed back home. Not even close.

Soon enough the basin of ingredients was at a raging boil. Droplets of the mixture spattered to and fro as massive angry bubbles began to rise from within and burst at the surface. A trail of steam began to emanate off the surface of the mixture as well as the heat made the liquid change into a gas and rise into the air. It all had a whimsical look to it, and by the time they were done the whole room was filled with a faint red glow of magic.

Eventually the urn began to glow as well, first with a brilliant blue glow but one that eventually faded to a dull green. After a while the glow stopped entirely and the entire thing went dormant. The sealed lid that once kept this hidden power securely inside the urn's confines was now open. All anyone had to do was lift it off and see what awaited them inside. That's exactly what Nibbly did.

With a brief flash of purple and the clatter of pots breaking a humanoid figure emerged from within the urn. At first they were so shrouded in bright light that it was almost impossible to make out their true form, but after a while that form made itself clear as the light faded.

Before Nibbly was a tall half creature, just like the others they'd seen in town previously. He had dusty brown hair with a few white streaks lining it, although the white didn't appear to come from his age. Far from it, as the man was in no more than his early thirties. His lower half was the same hooved haunches as the rest of the town, although his were coated in a shimmering orange sheen that made them distinct. The lower halves' fur matched his hair, being the same dusty brown and exhibiting the same white streaks. His clothing was far different from the towns, however. He was adorned in thick black leather armour which was studded with shiny gold. A very expensive looking outfit to be sure.

The man seemed somewhat dazed as he emerged. The kind of daze someone has after waking from a long nap not knowing how long they'd been asleep. He looked around the room heavily confused as he tried to get a grip on his surroundings. Nibbly was equally as confused at the man's reaction, and fish was just staring with the same expressionless emotion as always.

"Something's... Not right here..." The man said in a raspy voice. His throat was clearly dry.

"Not right? I don't really know what "right" is, but my lady seemed to want you out. Isn't that right?" Nibbly said. The fish nodded in response.

"No, no, you don't understand..." The man said again. "This isn't right... This isn't right! I'm not supposed to be here!"

"That's why we took you out, isn't it?"

"Where am I?" The man demanded, ignoring Nibbly's question. "Where am I and what year is it?"

Nibbly just stared back blankly. They knew for a fact they were in the town of Dextly, but where Dextly was or what a year was escaped them. As much as they wanted to help Nibbly simply didn't have the answers the man was looking for. Still, if Fish wanted him here the least they could do was help him out.

"We're in Dextly!" Nibbly croaked happily. "I don't know about anything else, but I'm sure the people here can help you with that. Those guards from earlier helped me out! I can take you to them"

"No, no guards," the man said sternly. "Just... Ugh! Tell me what happened. How did I get out? Why am I here?"

Nibbly began to explain in what was probably too much detail the events leading up to him being released. How they'd gotten hit on the head by Fish's orb, how they'd traveled for days in search of town, how they'd talked to the guards and gotten led to the temple. Every detail down to them and Fish mixing up and activating the aura.

The man listened intently as the frog's words, not asking any questions or making any comments. He just modded along quietly with an intense look on his face. Once the story was finished he put his hand on his chin and closed his eyes for several moments. It wasn't clear what he was doing, but when he opened his eyes minutes later they were glowing bright blue as a trail of bluish smoke trailed out of his mouth and nose. Remnant. A sign a spell had just been cast.

"You... You and your God released me early" he began. "I'm not supposed to be awake for another 426 years. 426 years, 4 months, and 6 days. I've been waiting decades for that moment to come, and you brought me back early. Why."

His final question radiated venom as he spoke. His voice was cold and sharp enough to use as a weapon. Nibbly didn't know what he was talking about, but it was clear what they'd done was a bad thing. Bad for the man, anyway. If it was what Fish wanted then as far as Nibbly was concerned it was a good thing. The people in the story they'd read didn't question their god. Why would he question theirs?

"Because my god told me to. You dare question her judgement?" Nibbly replied, still as chipper as ever. "Besides, it's not all bad. Being trapped in a little jar like that can't be fun. it doesn't even have any windows, unlike Fish's orb. How could you see out of that little thing?"

"I didn't see because I wasn't awake. I... Ugh! You stupid frog! I wouldn't expect you to understand the intricacies of my work." He replied angrily. "But you did this. You're going to fix it. Now"

"I... Don't know how" Nibbly muttered.

"Of course you don't... Tell me, what's your standing here? The temple thinks you're it's... Keeper? Guardian? Head worker? Something of the like"

"They said I worked for Cairo"

"Whatever. The point is, you have status here?" The man asked.

"Oh, yes I do!" Nibbly replied. "I'm doing important work here, and the creatures here are helping me with it! Whatever it is, anyway..."

"Tsk, creatures. The only creature here is you. We're Satyr. But again, that's besides the point. As far as the town's concerned you run this place, yeah? I need you to keep people out while I get this fixed. No one's allowed inside, and you're not to tell anyone that I'm here. Is that clear?"

Nibbly glanced down briefly at the fish before giving the man a nod. "Yes! Crystal clear!"

Nibbly did exactly what the man asked, and over the course of the next week they and the mysterious individual remained in the temple as he continued whatever it was his “work” is. It wasn’t entirely clear what he was doing in the first place. It seemed he spent most of his time catching small bugs outside and imbuing them with strong blue magic. Occasionally the bugs would chitter and chirp as he cast his spells, but Nibbly didn’t pay the bugs any mind. If anything the chirps they made were pleasant. A nice sound that put an end to the somber silence of the temple.

Of course, Fish took quite an interest in this man which, in turn, caused Nibbly to ask questions. Many questions. Questions about what the bugs were for and what he was doing. No matter how they asked they always got the same response. Always something along the lines of “You woke me up too early, I have to remedy the situation”. Most of his spell components were blue aligned, so there wasn’t anything to be worried about per say. Nib had gotten the basics of magic down during their time together. Blue was generally good and red was generally bad. Green was between the two, acting as some sort of neutral party.

Everything was going along just fine, until the week was over. It was later in the day and Nibbly had been given the task to head into town center and “keep watch”. If anyone was going even remotely close to the temple they were to put a stop to it. Fish seemed hesitant to go along with things. She seemed to be wary of the man, flinching every time he made too sharp of a hand gesture or spoke too loudly. But even with these reactions she made it clear Nibbly wasn’t to leave.

The body language she was making tonight was, to put it bluntly, confusing. She kept swimming back and forth between the city center and the temple, as if she wanted Nibbly to be in both places at once. In reality she was trying to signal him to get help. To go to the magic shop and alert the mage there to the happenings of the temple. Nibbly didn’t understand this, though, as such a concept was too difficult to verbalize with body language alone. Oh how she wished to have a translator at this moment.

While the frog had remained blissfully unaware of what was about to play out, Fish throughout the week had very quickly caught on to both the man's words and the materials he’d been collecting. The fact he was “awakened” nearly 500 years “too early” and he was gathering blue aligned materials to “remedy” the situation Fish was already suspicious. Things took a turn when she realized just how he was going to “remedy” things. The spell components he was collecting all had to do with the soul. More specifically, he was aiming to steal the life force of something. What that “thing: was she didn’t know, but it seemed he was going to take the life of another to fix whatever problem he’d been facing.

Nib patrolled around the city about two times over before it finally happened. At first it was simply the buzzing hum of all the cicadas that’d been collected being released upon the town. They glittered and shined like fireflies as they flew, illuminating the darkened town with soft blue light. It was beautiful, but the sight of this threw fish into a fit of panic. She slammed against the side of the glass so hard it was thrown from Nibbly’s hands and clanked against the cobbled ground. Her orb was resistant, though. It took the impact gracefully before rolling down the path and out of the city.

Of course, Nibbly followed. Fish had never tried to run away from them before now. Before she always went towards them if ever they got too far. With her on the run like this they couldn’t do anything but follow and call out for her to wait up. Just as they exited the confines of the town and Nib had their friend safely back in their grasp something else began to happen. Something that’d turn this whimsical display of glittering bugs to a complete and utter horror show.

A massive beam of blue light shot out and up into the sky. A light which bathed the city in an eerie blue light. An almost unnatural light that made the already artificial city look even more fake. Like everything was in a dream like haze with the light bouncing off the surfaces of all the glazed pottery. Then the screaming began. Screams of various townsfolk. Screams which sounded pained and terrified, but only lasted moments. The beam of light began letting off bluish tendrils which slithered their way into the homes and businesses of the town. Each tendrel wrapped itself around the very souls of the citizens and tore them away from their bodies. There they were dragged back to the temple where the single Satyr was waiting patiently to collect them.

Soon enough the spell was done. The chittering cicadas and the screams of the townsfolk fell silent. It was dead silent all around them aside from the faint sound of hooved feet clicking against the cobblestone pathway. The very man who had just torn the lives away from the city Nibbly had called home for this past week was now making his way down the path as if nothing had just happened. As if he was just taking a nightly stroll around the porcelain city.

The Satyr looked vastly different as he came in to view. The once orange hooves and horns of this man were now glowing with neon blue light. Almost to the point they themselves weren’t blue, but white with a blue aura around them. His eyes shared this same trait, and a thick billow of remnant fog was trailing out of his mouth leaving a clear trail behind him. The expression on his face was an odd mix of annoyance and accomplishment. Rage, but the rage of someone who’d gotten what he wanted, just not in the way he wanted it. He stormed his way over to the aquatic pair and loomed over them somewhat threateningly.

“You bailed on me.” He said, anger in his voice. “I told you to keep watch. Have you not been doing so?”

“Y-yes, I was!” Nibbly quipped. “But Fish was trying to get out of town, and I couldn’t just let my god-”

“You were SUPPOSED to stay in town. You and your little carp. Your… Peculiar mana was something I was banking on” He said again. There was a brief pause in his speech before he sharply exhaled and slicked his hair back behind his horns to keep it out of his face. “But it’s fine. You didn’t get far. The situation can be… Remedied”

“Remedied? Mana? What are you talking about” The frog asked. “What happened in town? I heard screaming…”

“As I’ve said, you woke me up early. Not only that, but you broke the vessel I was sleeping in. 426 is a long time to wait for a mere mortal, so I had to… Find a way around it.”

“I still don’t understand.” Nibbly muttered.

“You woke me up early. You’re going to pay with your life. My time is not something to be wasted, and if you’re going to waste the time I have left I’m going to take yours for myself. Your time has just run out, my little friend.”

The satyr reached into his pocket and brought out a very ornate dagger. Like many other things in this town it appeared to be made out of finely painted pottery. He thrust it in Nibbly’s direction, leaving a trail of blue light as he cut through the air. It was clear to the frog this knife had some sort of magical properties, and given Fish’s reaction it was clear the knife was something to be avoided.

Not equipped to fight, the two took off running. Running away from town down an unfamiliar roadway in an attempt to get away. It was dark and Nib was scared, but they pushed on with the knowledge that if they went down Fish would be killed shortly after. They had to protect their god. Protect her under any circumstances. Even if it meant their life. So, they ran. Deeper and deeper into the woods down the twisting and turning pathway. Running running running until eventually they couldn’t run any further.

The next Morning Nib woke up to the sound of something splashing into the river beside them. Jolting awake and looking around, Nibbly found that Fish had somehow managed to push herself into the river and was currently floating around inside of it. Not only that, but she had gotten herself out of the orb and was swimming freely around the pond at her own leisure. This was highly concerning, as the frog had yet to see their friend outside the orb before now. It was almost alien.

Of course, the panic quickly subsided. A sharp chirp of a cicada shot out across the landscape before falling still. Fish had just leaped out of the water, grabbed the small bug in her mouth, and was now happily munching on the insect's body as she swam her way back into the orb. Once there Nib picked up their dear sweet god before going back to the status quo. That being their job as a taxi service. Fish had places to go, and she was going to get Nibbly to take her there one way or another.

Little was said between the two as they continued on their journey. There really wasn’t much to say. What they’d both seen the night prior wasn’t anything either wanted to dwell on for any amount of time, and given the fact Fish couldn’t speak for herself there wasn’t any way for them to “change the subject”. All they could do was continue their walk and lose themselves in the natural world.

Time went on, and eventually the pair made their way to yet another town. A fairly large town which, according to the signs posted near the front gate, was known as Valley's Gate. Fish didn’t have any particular interest in this place, but once in town it did seem she had a direction she wanted to go. Just as before, Fish led the young frog to a temple. A fairly new looking temple who’s construction was quite different than the one they’d been at prior.

In front of this temple was a single creature. A tall, older looking turtle with pink crystals jetting out of his shell. This person and this temple would introduce both Nibbly and Fish to the group that they’d later travel with, but that story is one yet to be written...